Coal-heavy Australian aluminium vs renewables-led New Zealand: How Oceania is balancing decarbonisation
Oceania’s primary aluminium industry is facing a fragmented energy transition. While Australia, the leading aluminium producer of the continent, has abundant renewable resources and a well-established aluminium value chain, its smelters remain significantly more dependent on fossil-fuel-based...
Can the US afford to cut Canada off? 75% aluminium and $100b energy tell the story
The US aluminium industry’s dependence on Canada extends far beyond primary aluminium imports. While Canada supplies around 75 per cent of US imported primary aluminium, covering roughly 60 per cent of the country’s annual aluminium usage, it is also a major supplier of crude oil, natural gas and...
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Power failure at Tiwai smelter
Tiwai Aluminium Smelter was halted this morning after a power went out to most of the site. After an 11kV cable failed at 5am, AC power on the site caused a systems fail. A spokeswoman for the smelter said power had now been restored. ''Power is now restored but staff are still trying to get some...
China to impose tiered power tariffs on aluminum smelters in Jan. 2014
China will impose tiered power rates on aluminum smelters, starting on January 1, 2014, as part of its efforts to address severe overcapacity in the industry, Shanghai Metals Market has learned. Power tariffs for aluminum smelters will be based on the amount of power used in the previous year....
Aluminium company Aldel reports bankruptcy
Aluminum company Aldel in Delfzijl went bankrupt. 300 Dutch employees will lose their jobs. In addition, 250 people with temporary contracts and 300 people with supply companies will be laid off.In the past few weeks the company has been unable to find funders for the current operating deficit of...
Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter recovering to viability
New Zealand Aluminium Smelters general manager Gretta Stephens says she is making some headway on returning the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter to viability, but admits it is proving to be a tough task. Her aim is to ensure the smelter is on a solid footing and back in the black. An improvement plan to...
China to impose tiered power pricing for aluminium smelters
China will impose tiered power pricing on all aluminium smelters starting from January in an attempt to weed out inefficient plants and tackle severe overcapacity in the sector. The aluminum industry has been suffering from overcapacity for years, depressing prices and forcing many producers,...
Growing Power Grid Construction in China Boosts Aluminium Wire & Cable Demand
Growing power grid construction in China would continue to boost aluminum wire & cable demand, Shanghai Metals Market has learned. The total length of power transmission lines (=220 kV) constructed during November grew 35.2% from a year ago to 2,080 kilometers. 34,225 kilometers of such lines were...
Odisha: Aluminium Smelter Plant of Sesa Sterlite Ltd. awarded with National Energy Conservation Award
Efficient management of available energy resources has been one of the major thrust areas of Vedanta’s operations across the World. Adding feather to its rich collections of awards and accolades over the years, for exhibiting and discharging its commitment towards the cause of environment, focusing...
Alcoa Commercializes “Engineered Wetlands” Wastewater Treatment Technology
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) has entered into an agreement with Germany-based engineering and construction company, Bauer Resources GmbH, to commercialize Alcoa’s Natural Engineered Wastewater Treatment technology that mimics natural wetlands to sustainably treat wastewaters. Under the agreement, Bauer will...
Heavy energy taxes must be removed for aluminium industry to thrive
A recent study by the Centre for European Policy Studies has shown that the aluminium industry in Europe is at an 11 per cent cost disadvantage with the rest of the world. Carl Tomlinson, President of the Aluminium Federation (ALFED), argues that this is a "direct result of energy taxation”, with...
Residents are calling for renewable energy solutions at Alcoa
SURF Coast residents are calling for Alcoa to consider renewable energy solutions amid fears the smelters seeks to sell coal directly to the market. The Anglesea brown coal-fired power station supplies 40 per cent of Point Henry's aluminium smelter electricity requirements. An Alcoa spokesperson...
100% of aluminum can be obtained from recycling
Recycling aluminum uses about 95% less energy than making new one from bauxite ore, which compares very favorably with other types of recycling. For example, recycled plastic requires 70% less energy and paper uses about 40% less. That's pretty good, though as we've said many times, it's always...
Novelis on track to meeting 2020 water reduction target
Global aluminium company Novelis has reduced its water-use intensity by 16% from 2007-2009 average levels, putting it on track to achieve its 25% reduction target by 2020. The process in Novelis' operations that uses the most water is the casting of ingots after remelting recycled materials -...
Alumina enables cheaper hydrogen production
French scientists have managed to produce hydrogen by accelerating natural processes taking place in rocks deep below the Earth’s surface, possibly opening new avenues for hydrogen production. The team from the University Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, used aluminium oxide to speed up the process...
Alba backs key energy conference
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) reaffirmed its commitment towards the responsible use of natural resources for the sustained economic growth of the country through the platinum sponsorship of BD7,500 for the 1st Energy Management Conference & Exhibition 2013 beginning today. The three-day event will be...
Carbon tax 'not to blame' for Gove closure
RIO Tinto boss Sam Walsh has said the carbon tax is not to blame for the closure of its Gove alumina refinery in the Northern Territory. Mr Walsh, speaking in Sydney today after an investor briefing, said that while the carbon tax had obviously put pressure on energy-intensive industries, it was...
FLIR thermal cameras help Indian aluminium industry optimize production
The Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) is employing FLIR thermal cameras to help the Indian aluminium industry save energy and optimize the production process. Welcomed by the Indian aluminium production industry, the established JNARDDC institute is also...
Aluminium to make further inroads in power cable industry in China
With huge aluminium power cable production capacities coming on stream in China, the lightweight metal is set to make further inroads in power cable industry to substitute copper, Shanghai Metals Market foresees. As uniform standards for all aluminium alloy conductors (AAAC) are being studied by...
Aluminum scrap becomes bright shiny wheels
The building-efficiency focus often gets put on office buildings. Hey, it makes sense: This green push comes with lots of dazzling design work that’s fun to look at. But industrial plants also represent an opportunity to reap energy savings, and the Obama administration is highlighting progress...
